Even casual sexism is dangerous
Casual sexism is not so casual after all. It's a juggernaut of our subconscious thoughts which have been soaked in our realms over the years.
While we may not be trying to degrade the women we are passing a comment on, the general meaning that gets passed out is affront and should be pondered upon.
Andy Murray gave us another gentle reminder for our conscience two days ago. After he crashed out of Wimbledon on Sunday, he was questioned by a reporter. The reporter said Sam Querrey was the first American player to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam since 2009.
Murray interrupted him and said – “male player”. The reporter did not get what Murray was trying to say. Murry repeated it – “male player”. The reporter laughed it off and said: “Yes. Male player of course.”
Serena Williams has won three Australian opens, two French Opens, four Wimbledon titles and three US Opens since 2009. Venus Williams has cruised five times till the semis or more since 2009. Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, and Coco Vandeweghe have also made semi-final appearances since 2009.
The problem lies not just in being factually incorrect and giving credit but laughing it off is just being ignorant about casual sexism. Carrying this same thought process and conscience even after being given a moment of self-reflection is saddening.
To put casual sexism into perspective, let's take another instance. Mithali Raj, captain of Indian women's cricket team, who was attending the opening dinner and media roundtable event on the eve of the World Cup, was asked who her favourite male cricketer was between India and Pakistan.
She replied by slamming the reporter: "Do you ask the same question to a male cricketer? Do you ask them who their favourite female cricketer is? I have always been asked ‘who's your favourite cricketer’ but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.”
With a population of over 1.2 billion where cricket is considered a religion, this is what is asked to an absolute legend of the game. Mithali Raj created history on Sunday when she became the leading run-scorer in women's One Day International cricket (ODI).
While as progressive as we may sound and look, joining the bandwagon on social media after reporters getting slammed is fine to an extent but we have to take a moment of self-reflection.
Making silly and absurd statements just so that one can make others laugh can't be termed as “cool” and the damage it does to the collective conscience is outrageous.
Getting away with the “someone-will-get-offended” analogy holds no logic whatsoever. Interrupting and slamming these silly statements is the way to go and while it may seem a novel approach, it's also the right one for a better and more thoughtful society.
Also read: Why elite India never talks about its urban sexists